Automatic rewinding machine



Aug. 25, 1970' 4.3 15 3,525,419

AUTOMATIC REWINDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 SPEED REGULATOR- INVENTOR. Hm Sic L;

Q BY j g- 25, 1970 H. STC5BI 3,525,479

AUTOMATIC REWINDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. HM 5210 United States Patent 3,525,479 AUTOMATIC REWINDING MACHINE Hans Sttibi, Uzwil, Switzerland, assignor to Maschinenfabrik Benninger AG, Uzwil, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Sept. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 761,415 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept. 26, 1967, 13,475/ 67 Int. Cl. B65h 17/02 U.S. Cl. 24267.4 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is disclosed an apparatus for use in conjunction with a rewinding machine for controlling a regulator means for the automatic regulation of the drive means of the winding rollers to insure for substantial uniform speed and tension of the rewound web-like material as it is being wound from one of the winding rollers to the other, and vice versa, and while passing through a treatment liquid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for a rewinding machine for controlling a regulator for the automatic regulation of the drive means driving the winding rollers.

In every rewinding machine changes in the material velocity and the material tension cannot be prevented unless special measures to obviate same are undertaken, because the peripheral velocity of the hank appearing at the wind-up roller continually increases, whereas the peripheral velocity of the package of material located at the other roller continuously decreases during the winding operation. In order to compensate for this change in the conditions which occur during the rewinding operation it is known to the art to use a pendulum roller whereby deflections or positional changes of this pendulum roller from a reference position, due to changes in the tension of the material, are employed for controlling a regulator in such a manner that the latter, in turn, adjusts infinitely variable friction drives separately driving the rollers until the peripheral velocity of both material packages is again of the same magnitude.

The previously known prior art constructions incorporating a pendulum or floating roller are associated with different drawbacks. Since the immersion length of the material during the rewinding operation should be maintained as constant as possible in order to achieve a uni form treatment, the displacements of the pendulum roller which serve to control the regulator should not appreciably change this immersion length.

This requirement, however, can only be accommodated with great difficulty with the requirement that there should be available deflections of the pendulum roller which are as great as possible in order to provide the most rapidly responding and sensitive control of the regulator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus of the mentioned type which is capable of effectively preventing all of the previously mentioned disadvantages and additionally provides the possibility of again correctly setting or adjusting the drive means for the drive of the winding rollers directly after again placing into operation the rewinding machine, which incorrect setting of the drive means might have occurred because of a change in the hanks or due to other manipulations, and specifically, wherein such correction occurs Within the shortest time which is dependent upon the length of material stored in the apparatus and the material speed.

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Another important object of the present invention relates to an improved apparatus for a rewinding machine for controlling a regulator means for the automatic regulation of the drive means driving the winding rollers in an extremely simple, efficient, accurate, and reliable manner, and Where such apparatus is relatively simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and not readily subject to breakdown.

Now, in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which Will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the invention contemplates the provision of an apparatus for a rewinding machine which serves to control a regulator for the auto matic regulation of the drive means driving the winding rollers. This regulation should occur in such a way that there takes place a uniform velocity and tension of the web-like material moving from one roller to the other, and vice versa, while passing through a treatment liquid, as brought about by the changing of the hanks or skeins or adjusting the driving drive means directly after again placing into operation the rewinding machine, wherein such incorrect setting of the drive means may have been brought about by the changing of the hanks or skeins or through other manipulations. The invention successfully fulfills the intended objective in that it contemplates that the web of material in the treatment liquid is guided or trained about two pendulum or floating rollers which are spaced from one another. Of these two rollers one is mounted at an arm member which directly controls the regulator and the other is mounted at approximately the same height at the pivot joint of two guide levers. One of these guide levers is pivotably mounted to the container for the treatment liquid and the other at the control arm supporting the first pendulum roller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood, and objects other than those set forth above, will become apparent, when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates, partly schematically, a vertical sectional view through a rewinding machine or jigger incorporating the inventive apparatus; and

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates dilferent working positions of the apparatus for controlling a regulator in the jigger of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Describing now the drawings, it is to be understood that the web of material, for instance a web of fabric, which is to be rewound is generally designated by reference character B. It is wound from a first driven winding roller 1 to a second driven winding roller 2 and then rewound in the reverse direction. Between both of the winding rollers 1 and 2 this web of material B is guided through a treatment liquid 4 contained in a suitable vat or container 3. The drive for both of the winding rollers 1 and 2 takes place in a well known manner, for which reason such is not further depicted in the drawings, but it can be mentioned that such may be undertaken by means of a drive motor which is common to both rollers and which acts upon such rollers through the agency of a respective infinitely variable or adjustable friction drive. A prerequisite for a uniform tension and speed of the web of material B during its passage through the liquid 4 during the rewinding operation is that there occurs a change of the drive speed or velocity of the rollers -1 and 2 in accordance with the varying radii of the material located upon these rollers 1, 2.

It should be apparent that the rotational speed for both rollers 1 and 2 is only the same at the period of time in which exactly one-half of the web of material B is wound from the one to the other winding roller. The friction drives must thus be regulated in such a manner during the rewinding operation that the driven rotational speed of the wind-up roller continuously decreases and that of the wind-01f roller continuously increases. The optimum relation of both roller speeds is then attained when the web tension remains the same throughout the entire rewinding operation. This relationship can be automatically attained in known manner by means of a conventional regulator means which is controlled by virtue of the shortening or lengthening of the web loop in the vat 3 appearing between the rollers 1 and 2. Such changes in the loop of the web material occurs when one roller rotates too quickly or too slowly in relation to the other roller. Since each such change of the web loop between both of the rollers also directly changes the immersion length of the web in the treatment liquid, it is necessary that the regulator means 5 respond to each such change quickly and as sensitively as possible in order to obtain as uniform as possible effect of the treatment liquid 4 over the entire length of the web of material B. In order to attain this type of response, the movements which control the regulator means 5 must be as large as possible and, at the same time, in order not to endanger the uniform treatment of the web B, the terminal positions of these control movements must neither appreciably change or alter the tension of the material nor the immersion length.

The foregoing can be achieved by means of the exemplary depicted embodiment of inventive apparatus in that the web of material B is guided in the vat or container 3 beneath the level of the treatment liquid about two horizontally arranged pendulum rollers 6 and 7 which are also horizontally spaced from one another. Along its path to and from these pendulum rollers 6 and 7 the web of material B is guided externally of the treatment liquid by means of swivel or tiltable rollers 8 and is additionally spread out by means of the cooperating spreader rods 9.

Continuing, it will be observed that the pendulum roller 6 is arranged at one end of a double flexed or bent arm 10, which is mounted at its other end externally of the vat 3 to be pivotable about a shaft 11 serving as an axis of rotation. The rocking or pivotal motion of this arm is directly utilized for controlling the regulator means 5. The other pendulum roller 7 is mounted at a schematically illustrated pivot bolt means 12 which operably pivotably interconnects two guide or control rods or levers 13 and 14. The end of the guide rod 14 which is remote from the pivot bolt means 12 is hingedly connected at 15 in a stationary fashion to the wall of the vat or container 3, whereas the end of the guide rod 13 opposite the pivot bolt means 12 is hingedly connected within the vat 3 at location 17 to a nose member 16 of the control arm 10 carrying the pendulum roller 6. The length of the guide rods 13 and 14 as well as their points of articulation are chosen in such a way that both of the pendulum rollers 6 and 7 are located at approximately the same height within the vat or container 3.

Furthermore, it will be recognized by referring to FIG. 1 that the piston rod 19 of the non-visible piston of a pressure cylinder arrangement 20 is pivotably connected with an extension 18 of the control arm 10 which projects past the axis of rotation or shaft 11. By means of this pressure cylinder arrangement 20 it is possible through the agency of the arm member 10 and both of the pendulum rollers 6 and 7 to impart to the web of material B between both of the winding rollers 1 and 2 any desired tension.

The mode of operation of the described and illustrated apparatus for controlling the regulator means 5 and by means of which there can be undertaken an automatic control or regulation of the drive means driving the winding rollers 1 and 2 in such a manner that there can be attained a uniform speed and particularly a uniform tension of the web of material B during the rewinding operation will be best understood by now referring to FIG. 2.

More precisely, if a hank or skein is rewound in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 2 from the roller 1 onto the roller 2, then, with a constant driving speed of the rollers the wind-up speed will increase owing to the increasing package diameter of the material being wound upon the take-up or wind-up roller 2. This will, however, immediately have the eifect of tending to shorten the web loop between both of the winding rollers 1, 2. Already at the start of such shortening of the web loop both of the pendulum rollers 6, 7 will be raised from the illustrated central or neutral position. Consequently, the control or pendulum arm 10 will be immediately rocked or pivoted through a relatively large angle so that the correction of the driving speeds for the rollers 1 and 2 can be quickly initiated and carried out. The deflections of the pendulum rollers 6 and 7 which trigger the control operation, notwithstanding their magnitude, only bring about negligible changes of the immersion length of the web of material B in the treatment liquid 3 without necessitating the provision of additional guide rollers. Additionally, the embodiment of inventive apparatus also guarantees that even in the extreme positions of the deflections of the pendulum rollers the inside and the outside of the web of material will always be contacted by approximately the same quantity of treatment liquid, a feature which is essential for uniform treatment.

Furthermore, since the pendulum rollers 6, 7 can immediately return back into their illustrated central position after the regulation or adjustment of the winding roller drive means has taken place, the instantaneous shortening of the immersion path which in itself is already quite small can be neglected.

Should the settings for the drive means of the winding rollers be incorrect or out of adjustment because of changing of the hanks or because of other manipulations, so that when placing the machine again into operation, the rotational speed of the rollers is not correct, then, by virtue of the operation of the illustrated and described apparatus the differences in speed will be compensated in the same manner, whereby the length of material which is available for carrying out the control or regulation operation is maintained at such a magnitude that it always insures for a faultless resetting of the drive means into the desired operating position.

It should be apparent from the foregoing detailed description that the objects set forth at the outset to the specification have been successfully achieved.

Accordingly, what is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for use in conjunction with a rewinding machine for controlling a regulator means for the automatic regulation of the drive means of the winding rollers to insure for substantial uniform speed and tension of the rewound web-like material as it is being wound from one of the winding rollers to the other, and vice versa, and while passing through a treatment liquid, the improvement comprising a container for the treatment liquid, a pair of pendulum rollers spaced from one another and disposed in said container, the web-like material being trained about said pair of pendulum rollers, a regulator means, control arm means for directly controlling said regulator means, one of said pendulum rollers being mounted at said control arm means, a pair of control rods hingedly connected with one another, the other of said pendulum rollers being mounted at the location of the hinge connection of said control rods and at approximately the same height as said one pendulum roller, one of said control rods being hingedly connected with said container, the other of said control rods being hingedly connected with said control arm means carrying said one pendulum roller.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including a pivot shaft means disposed externally of said container, said control arm means for actuating said regulator means incorporating a double flexed-arm arrangement having an arm portion leading externally of said container and pivotably mounted at said pivot shaft means, whereby the pivotable movement of said pivot shaft means controls said regulator means.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including pressurized cylinder means for acting upon said control arm means actuating said regulator means in order to influence the tension of the web-like material trained about said pendulum rollers,

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the length of said control rods as well as their points of hinge connection are chosen such that changes in the loop of web-like material between both of said pendulum rollers causes a change in the spacing of the pendulum rollers from one another and a change in the elevational position of the pendulum rollers in said container, which then pivots said control arm means actuating said regulator means, whereby the changes in position of said pendulum rollers only negligibly alters the immersion length of the weblike material in the treatment liquid and the relationship of the quantity of treatment liquid which acts upon the outer and inner sides of the web-like material.

5. An apparatus for use in conjunction with a rewinding machine for controlling a regulator means for the automatic regulation of the drive means of the winding rollers to insure for substantial uniform speed and tension of the rewound web-like material as it is being wound from one of the winding rollers to the other, and vice versa, and while passing through a treatment liquid, the improvement comprising a container for the treatment liquid, a pair of pendulum rollers spaced from one another and disposed in said container, the web-like material being trained about said pair of pendulum rollers, a regulator means, control arm means for controlling said regulator means, one of said pendulum rollers being mounted at said control arm means, a pair of control rods, means for hingedly connecting said pair of control rods with one another, the other of said pendulum rollers being mounted at the location of the hinge connection of said control rods and at approximately the same height as said one pendulum roller, means for hingedly connecting one of said control rods with said container, and means for hingedly connecting the other of said control rods with said control arm means carrying said one pendulum roller.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner 

